From setbacks to record run: What makes FCB Women's fourth consecutive championship so special

The Meisterschale paused briefly at knee height, then came the moment everyone had been working towards since last summer: captain Glódís Viggósdóttir hoisted the 7.1-kilogram trophy, made of 925 sterling silver, high into the air with both arms. Confetti shot up over the team, and the cheers of the entire FC Bayern Campus filled the air. In the background, a white archway bore the inscription "German Champions 2026”. A moment FC Bayern Women had fought for all season long. A season that had everything – except a straight path, but one that always led forward.

🏆 Watch the trophy being lifted: 

Hard act to follow

In German, they say all beginnings are hard. When José Barcala was unveiled as the new head coach at the end of last season, the team had been crowned champions three years in a row under his predecessor Alexander Straus and won the first domestic double in his final season – the crowning finish to possibly the most successful years in the club’s history. But the Spaniard wasn’t overawed by that. In his first interview, he already made it clear he had his own ambitions, which weren’t just measured by trophies: “I want to form a team who can match any opponents under the most difficult circumstances.”

An undertaking he successfully set about together with assistant coach Clara Schöne. The first competitive fixture of the new season produced the first title with the convincing 4-2 win over VfL Wolfsburg in the Supercup. Another big statement from the whole club came the following week, as 57,762 spectators filled the Allianz Arena for the opening match of the Bundesliga season – a new record attendance in German women’s club football. It was just the start of a long, successful and historic campaign.

Setbacks provide motivation instead of hindrance

That’s not to say everything went seamlessly at the start of the season. The team suffered its first heavy blow against Freiburg on Matchday 4, when Sarah Zadrazil limped off after 12 minutes. A day later came the devastating news that the Munich midfielder had suffered a cruciate ligament tear. And two weeks later, Bayern kicked off their Champions League campaign with a bruising 7-1 defeat at three-time winners FC Barcelona. “A slip-up that won’t happen again,” as Alara would later prove to be right.

The result manifested as a turning point. The team rediscovered themselves and continually improved their performance. Even the third setback in a short space of time –  Lena Oberdorf, who finally made her debut in red and white in the Supercup after a year out injured, suffered her second cruciate ligament tear in mid-October – didn’t alter that. Once again, enormous mental strength and togetherness were required. And anyone who knows FC Bayern Women knows that this team, who are as close-knit as a family, wouldn't let that throw them off course. What happened next wasn't an act of defiance, but a collective response.

Making a name beyond Germany

A response that persisted throughout the rest of the campaign. With 20 Bundesliga wins in a row, the club record of March 2021 was broken. The result: another milestone. On Matchday 22, four before the end of the season, Bayern sealed the fourth successive title with a battling victory at Union Berlin, which also set a new points record in the league. Only two other clubs have previously achieved such a long series of titles in the German top flight (Turbine Potsdam and Wolfsburg).

The only was up for the Munich girls in Europe, too. Aside from a draw against Atlético Madrid, they won every game as they advanced to the semi-finals for the first time since 2020/21. Their opponents there were Barcelona – an opportunity to atone for the “slip-up” in the autumn. Bayern embraced it, pushing the Blaugrana all the way, disrupting their usual passing game and unsettling the favourites. In the end, they just fell short of a first appearance in the final of the Champions League. After the second leg, it was clear not just to the 60,021 fans at Camp Nou but to the whole of European football that this is a team whose development is far from over.

Trust as principle

Barcala’s initial aim of “form a team who can match any opponents” certainly seems to have been achieved after his first season. And it hasn’t happened by accident. The 44-year-old has forged a cohesive unit, where he not only demands trust but also models it. He tolerates mistakes, rotates consistently and makes every player feel needed. It's no coincidence, then, that no other club in the league has seen every injury-free outfield player make more than nine appearances, like FC Bayern Women have.

Final test

Before the trophy presentation, there was one last test on the agenda in the final home match of the season. In Eintracht Frankfurt they faced a Europa Cup semi-finalist with European ambitions of their own. There was an emotional element to the game, too, as FCB said goodbye to Mala Grohs, Carolin Simon, Georgia Stanway, Natalia Padilla Bidas and assistant coach Kjetil Lone, all making their last appearance in Munich colours, as well as the departed Lea Schüller and Tuva Hansen.

SGE showed that they hadn’t just come to form a guard of honour. They forced Grohs into a good save from Laura Freigang, while Viggósdóttir was also kept busy by the lively Erleta Memeti. Bayern weren’t deterred, though, and took an early lead through Arianna Caruso, which Pernille Harder doubled shortly after the break. By the time Linda Dallmann struck the underside of the bar from distance, it was clear that today wasn’t just about winning, but about making a statement. The trophy, which Viggósdóttir received after the final whistle, was once again fully deserved this year.

One chapter left

There’s not much time to celebrate, though, as the last chapter of the season awaits on Thursday. When the bells of Cologne Cathedral ring out at 4 pm, FCB’s mission to defend their DFB Cup crown and complete a second consecutive double begins against arch-rivals Wolfsburg. And there’s more to it. It’s also about proving that after all the setbacks, emotions and highs, they can round off a season that surpasses the already outstanding previous campaign; that no matter how difficult the situation, this team, this coaching staff and these fans can climb every mountain together.

🗞️ The match report of the clash with Eintracht Frankfurt:

🗞️ The milestones on the road to the title: